Machine for sealing envelops.



PATENTBD MAY 3, 1904.

L. MADAS. MACHINE PoR SEALING BNVBLOPS.

APPLIUATION FILED APB. 25. 190B.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL,

Ho.. wnsmnwon n r No. 758,992. n PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

w L. MADAS.

MACHINE FOR SEALING ENVELOPS.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 25, 1903.

No nonBL. 5 sHmsTsusnnn-T z.

i No. 758,992. PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

L. MADAS.

MACHINE FOR SEALING ENVELOPS.

APPLIOATIONA rumana. 25, 190s. uo MODEL. a smms- 'nm a.

Arme/VHS PATENTED MAY 3, 1904. L. MADAS.

MACHINE FOR SEALING ENVELOPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1903.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

H0 MODEL.

u l wcW N v w mw VvE/v70@ 5), my

UW i

No. 758,992. PATPNTED MAY s, 1904. L. MAPAS.

MACHINE FUR SEALING BNVELUPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 95. 199s.

No MODEL. a MEETS-SHEET a.

OQQQ@ Afm/MHS latented. May 3, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

LOUIS MADAS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., `ASSIGNOR TO RAPID ENVELOPE SEALING OO., OF vNEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR `slimline. 'NvELoPe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,992, dated May 8, 1904:.

Application filed April 25, 1903. Serial No, 154,312. (No model.)

To LZZ wlwnt it mag/concern; y Be it known that I, Louis MADAs,.a citizen of the Empire of Austria-Hungary, residing p in New York, borough of Manhattan, and State of New Yorl'n'have invented certain new and useful [mpro'vementsin Machines for lSealing tom of the receiving-box i and.V being adapted V to conveyv the envelopssuccessively from said i their front portions with` extensions A2, in which are mounted two pairs of rollers, a pair Envelope, of whichthe following is a specification. i

This invention relates to improvements in envelop-sealing machines of that class in which a number of envelope are placed ina pileinto a receiving-box and fed one after the other in a positive andireliable manner to moistening .and sealing devices, the object of tlieinvensists of anenvelop-sealinginachinewhich comj i prises an envelop-receiving box,j a reciprocating moistening and feeding plate at the llower part of the receiving-box, andsealing `and presser rollers in line with said plate, said moistening and feeding plateforming thefbotbox to the sealing and presser rollereyw-f` rllie invention consists, further, of certain improvements in the moisteningdevice which the moisture is supplied tothe inclinedl-y front vlip of the reciprocating feeding and moistening plate and from the same to the gummed sealing-Hap of the envelop, said feed ing and moistening plate being guided by suitable rollers arranged at the sides. ofthe moistening device, so as not to subject the wick of the moistening device to excess-ive use or to-and-fro bending during the reciproca.- tion of the moistening-plate- The invention consiste, further, of means for adjusting the partition in .fthe receivingbox to different sizes of envelope; and the invention consists, lastly, 'of certain details of construction and combinations of parte, as

will be fully describedhereinaftei'and finally lpointed out in the claims.

In the accom aan, inv' drawings Figure l b b 1 t:

`represents a side elevation of my improved imachine for sealing envelope.

i on line t 4, Fig; 3.

`line 5, Fig. 3, shown inxthe direction of the tion through tlie feeding, nioistening, and sealarrows. Fig'. 6 is a vertical longitudinal seci ing devices drawn on a larger scale and showing the reciprocating feeding and moistening plate in forward position for delivering an envelop to the sealing and presser rollers; and

Fig; 7 is a detail perspective view of the guid ei block for conducting ,the envelop to the seali ing and presser rollers.. s

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parte.

Referring' to the drawings, A represents the side'standards, and B the receivingbox, of my y improved envelop-sealing inachine,wliich box is open at its top and bottom. rlhe standards A are secured together by transverse brace-rods A", the receiving-box being supported on said Figs.. l and 3.

standards andisecured thereto in .any suitable manner. Tliestandarde A are provided at ofisealing-rollers O and apair of presser-rollcovered, the upper sealingerollei being' yieldinglyT journaled in guide-blocks y, that are adapted to move in vertical :ways g of saidextensions A2 under the control of helical springs g3, wliilethe lower presser-roller O is supported in bearings o'lpivoted and spriiig-actuated arms O2, as vshown clearly in Along the upper'edges of tlie side standards A, at the interiorof .the same, are arranged horizontal guideways a., on which `the side edges of a reciprocating 'plate D are guided. Reciprocating motion is imparted to the plate D by cranks 1)', which are keyed to the shaft C* of the upper presser-roller C', said cranks being connected by pivot-rods D2 with a transverse shaft D3, that is supported in perforated lugs (Z3 at the under side of the plate D, so that by the turning vof a crank-handle D, attached to one of the cranks D', the plate D is moved alternately forwardand backward in its guideways.

The front end of the reciprocating plate D is provided with an upwardly-inclined tapering lip el, that is adapted to engagethe sealing-flap of the envelop and carry the same forward tothe sealing-rollers,(l. The under side of the reciprocating plate D is moved over the moistening device F, which consists of moistening-wicks f, that extend between rollers f", whichare adjusted on theiry axes in the end walls of a moistening-trough F. The trough F `extends transversely between the side standardsA A, below the reciprocating-plateD, and is-.guided'by endlpins f2 in grooves f 3 ofthe side standards A, the troughs being supported'by flatcushioning-spr-ings f at its. under side, asshow-.n in Figs. Sand 4. Thetrough F is. supplied from time to time with water` by means of a supply-tube f5, having a` funnel-shapedV enlargement f". The upwardly-inclined lipd of the reciprocating plate D is guided in such a manner that it will positively enter. between the body and sealingflap of the lowest envelop of apile placed-in the receiving-box B, said lip engaging the fold ofthe envelop and feeding the same forward to the sealing-rollers C. The pile of envelops placed:l in the receiving-box is supported on a forwardly-extending stationary lip bfat the .lower end of a transverse partition B', said partition being slightly inclined, andzony atapering lip b2 of a guide-block b", located. inthe recessed lower part of the front wall. of the receiving-box B, said envelops beingsupported on said lips b2 in inclined position, with theface of the envelop upward and the flap of the lowermost envelop hanging downwardly, so as to be reliably taken up by the Vlip of the reciprocating plate D during the forward motion of the same.

In the recessed lower part of the front wall of the envelop-receiving box B is arranged a keeper b, which is guided on strips b3 of the side walls of the box and moves freely up and down in the same. at its lower edge with. yielding wipers b4. Below the keeper. I) is arranged the tapering point of the spring-cushioned guide-block bx, which is provided at its inner side with the backwardly-extending supporting-lip b2,

. before referred to, and at the oppositeside The keeper b is providedv wardly-projecting brackets b9, as shown clearly inFig. 5. By this arrangement the guideblock is capable of yielding to the pressure of the reciprocating plate D when the same is passed forward between the yielding wipers b4. and the tapering point b5 when delivering an envelop to the sealing-rollers C.

The shaft of the upper presser-roller C is provided with a gear-wheel H, that meshes with a gear-wheel t on the shaft of the lower sealing-roller C, so as to impart rotary motion to the same. Intermediate gear-wheels /t h2 [t3 It* transmit rotary motion to the yielding upper sealing-roller C, so that thev envelops fed to the sealing-rollers by the reciprocating plate Dare taken up by the sealingrollers and moved forward on the return of the reciprocating plate D. The shaft of the transmitting gear-wheel lt is connected by a pivot-strap tX with the shaft of the gear-wheel It?, the shaft of the latter with the shaft of the gear-wheel if by a strap It, and the shaft of the gear-wheel k3 with the shaft of the gearwheel/t4 by a pivot-strap its. The intermediate gear-wheels and the connecting pivotstraps permit the upper sealing-roller Cto' yield while being rotated during the passage of an envelop. Simultaneously with the rotation of the sealing and presser rollers the reciprocating motion of the plate D takes place by means of the pivot-rods connecting the crank on the upper presser-roller C with the plate D, by which also the feeding and moistening of the envelop-is accomplished.

The wicks of the moistening-trough are pressed together attheir upper ends by means of parallel rollers f (shown in Figs. 2 and) at both sides of said wicks and journaledV in slots fg in the end walls of the trough-F. (Shown most clearly in Fig. 2.) One of the rollers f is provided with socket-holesfs for permitting the convenient axial adjustment of said rollers by means of a small lever to be inserted therein in the well-known manner, so as to adjust the position of the moi'steningwicks from time to time when the same are spread apart at their upper ends and produce the'reliable moistening of the under side of the inclined lip of the reciprocating plate D. Any other suitable adjusting means than those described may also 'be used. At each end of the moistening-trough F and of the springcushioned guide-block bx are arranged rollers r, which are movable therewith andv which serve to carry the body of the reciprocating plate D during the forward and backward IOO IIO

motion of the same, so as to prevent the wick V from being subjected to excessive wear, which would result, were the rollers not present, by

the repeated hammering of the corner CZ 13 of the moistening-plate, formed by the plate proper and the lip d, or from the to-and-fro bending of the wick during the reciprocation of the plate D.

The envelop-receiving box B is provided at its top with outwardly-extending lugs B2, which rest on the standards A, and in its side walls with a number of parallel grooves m, the partition-plate B being provided with corresponding tongues m in its ends, so that it can be readily removed and replaced in any one of the parallel guide-grooves, according to the size of the envelops to be sealed. The envelop-receiving box is attached by means of screws to the side standards A,as shown in Fig. l.

The operation of the envelop-sealing machine is as follows: The partition B of the envelop-receiving box B is first adjustedto the size of the envelops to be sealed. Theenvelops are then taken up in suitable quantity and placed in the box in a pile'with their sealing-flaps downwardand their flap edges or folds against the front wall of the box resting on the lips of the partition and guideblock 5X. The reciprocating plate D serves as a bottom for the receiving-box and is moved in forward and backward directionby the action ofthe crank-handle and connectingrod. During the rearward stroke of the reciprocating' plate D the receiving-box is bottomless for about one-half its width, so as to permit the Hap of the envelop to project slightly into the opening into the bottom of the box. The limit of the forward motion of the reciprocating plate D coincides with the e'ontact of the sealing-rollers C, as shown in Fig. 6. The reciprocating plate D is moved from its rearward position forward, so that its frontlip passes in between the body and the sealing'-k the same, carrying' the envelop forward be tween the yielding keeper andthe tapering point of the guide-block, the latter pressing the flap of the envelop into contact with the under side of the lip of the reciprocating' plate, so as to meisten the gummed surface of the flap. The reciprocating plate continues then its forward motion until it places the envelop between the sealing-rollers. The reciprocating plate is then returned upon its rearward stroke, `while the envelop is taken up and passed through between the sealing-rollers, so as to be sealed and then delivered to the presser-rollers, so as to impart the final closing-pressure and smoothing to the envelop and its contents. The next envelop is then moistened and sealed in the same manner, and so on until all envelops in the receiving-box are sealed, when a new pile is placed into the same. The reciprocating plate performs the function of engaging the envelops and then feeding them forward to the sealing and presser rollers, which receive the envelop,

yielding tothe thickness thereof and sealing the same as it is passed between them. The keeper, with its wipers, and the guide-bloclf, with its tapering point below the wipers, prevent any possibility of feeding more than one envelop at a time from the pile, as they hold back all the envelops above the lowest one, while the lowermost envelop is taken up and fed by the reciprocating plate to the sealing and presser rollers. Any small surplus moisture is drained off through the slots at both sides of the tapering central point of the guideblock into the receptacle R, so as to prevent the moistening' of the envelops as they are successively moistened and sealed during their passage through the moistening and sealing rollers, while the guide-rollers at the opposite ends of the moistening -trough and guideblock serve to keep the reciprocating plate sufliciently in contact with the wick so as to moisten the same, preventing, however, the wick from being subjected to excessive wear, which would result from too close and sudden a contact of the plate with the wick.

I do not desire to claim in this application anything which has been claimed in my prior pending application for an improved machine for sealingenvelops, Serial No. 145,601, filed February 28, 1903, to which reference is made herewith. rl"he new features of the present application are, lirst, the dispensing with the cloth covering at the under side of the reciprocating plate; second, the arrangement of the moistenlng-trough with its moistening.

wipers and guide-block for holding back the pile of envelops above the lowermost envelop and for drawing off the excess of moisture, and, lastly, the arrangement of the lips on the partition and guide-block for supporting the lenvelops independently of the reciprocating plate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.-

1. The combination, with an envelop-receiving box, of a reciprocating envelop feeding and moistening plate forming the bottom therefor, a springcushioned l moisteningtrough arranged below the reciprocating plate, moistening-wicks supported in said moisteningtrough, means for adjusting the upper ends of said moistening-wicks relatively to the reciprocating plate, and rollers for sealing the fiaps of the envelops, substantially as set forth.

2. In an envelop-sealing machine, the combination of an envelop-receiving box, a reciprocating envelop feeding' and moistening plate, a spring-cushioned moistening-trough arranged below said reciprocating plate, moistening-wicks in said trough, means for adjusting said moistening-wicks relatively to said reciprocating plate, and guide-rollers at the ends of said moistening-trough for guiding the body of the reciprocating plate in its reciprocating motion over the moistening-wicks, substantially as set forth.

3. In an envelop-sealing machine, the combination of an envelop-receiving box having a transverse recess at the lower part of its front wall, a yielding keeper in said recess, a yielding guide-block provided with a tapering point located below said keeper, a reciprocating envelop feeding and moistening plate adapted to pass between said keeper and tapering point and rollers for sealing the -flaps of the envelops, substantially as set forth.

4. In an envelop-sealing machine` the combination of an envelop-receiving box having a transverse recess at the lower part of its front wall, a yielding keeper in said recess, a yielding guide-block provided with a tapering point located below7 said keeper, a reciprocating envelop feeding and moistening plate adapted to pass between said keeper anditapering point, a moistening device below the reciprocating plate, and guide-rollers at the ends of the guide-block for guiding the body of the reciprocating plate in its forward and backward motion oversaid moistening device, substantially as set forth.

In an envelop-sealingv machine, the combination of a receiving-box having a recess at the lower part of its front wall, a verticallymovable keeper guided in said recess, a yielding guide-block provided with a tapering point below said keeper, a reciprocating feeding and moistening plate adapted to pass between the keeper and tapering point, a moisteningtrough below said reciprocating plate provided with moi'stening-wicks, and rollers at the ends of the moistening-trough and guideblock for guiding the body of the reciprocating plate in its forward and backward motion over said moistening device, substantially as set forth.

6. In an envelop-sealing machine1 the combination of an envelop-receiving' box having a transverse recess in the lower part of its front wall, a vertically-movable keeper in said recess, a spring-supported guide-block provided with a tapering point below said keeper, a transverse inwardly-projecting lip below said point, and a reciprocating feeding and moistening plate adapted to enter between said keeper and point, substantially as set forth.

7 In an envelop-sealing machine, the combination of an envelop-receiving box having adjusting the box to different sizes of envela transverse recess in the lower part ofits front wall, a vertically-movable keeper in said recess, a spring-supported guide-block provided with a tapering point located below said keeper, and areciprocating feeding and moistening plate provided with an inclined front lip adapted to pass between said keeper and tapering point for feeding the envelops through the same, substantially as set forth.

8. In an envelop-sealing machine, the combination of a receiving-box having a transverse recess in the lower part of its front wall, a vertically-movable keeper guided in said opening, a spring-supported guide-block below said keeper, said guide-block being provided with a tapering point and slots in said block at both` sides of the tapering point, a supporting-lip adjacent to said tapering point, a transverse partition in the receiving-box provided with a lip at its lower end and a reciprocating envelop feeding and moistening plateadapted to receive an envelop and feed it through between the keeper and tapering point, substantially as set forth.

9. In an envelop-sealing machine, the combination of a receiving-box having a transverse recess in the lower part of its front wall, a vertically-movable keeper guided in said opening, a spring-supported guide-block having a tapering point below said keeper and an in wardl y-extendin g supporting-lip adjacent to said tapering point, a transverse partition in the receiving-box provided with a lip at its lower end, a reciprocating and moistening plate adapted to receive the envelop and feed it through between the keeper and tapering point, a spring-actuated moistening device below said reciprocating plate, and rotary sealing and presser rollers, substantially as set forth. Y

10. In an envelop-sealing machine, an envelop-receiving box provided with parallel' IOC guide-grooves in its side walls, and a transverse partition provided with tongues for be-` ing inserted into one of said guide-grooves for ops, said partition being provided at its lower end with a forwardly-extending lip for supporting a pile of envelops placed in the box, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in pres- IIC ence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS MADAS.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER. 

